2013 Lunar New Year stamp released

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Postal Service released its 2013 Lunar New Year stamp, featuring firecrackers, paper-cut designs, and Chinese calligraphy on Jan. 16 to help customers usher in the Year of the Snake.

“We are proud to celebrate this special time with our friends in the Asian community,” said Nagisa Manabe, chief marketing and sales officer. “With this year’s limited edition stamp, we’re providing our customers the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of these stamps and use them in their new year’s greetings to friends and family.”

The Postal Service introduced the Celebrating Lunar New Year series in 2008. This is the sixth stamp in the series, which will continue through 2019 with the Years of the Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar.

Illustrator Kam Mak, an artist who was born in Hong Kong, grew up in New York City’s Chinatown, and now lives in Brooklyn, has designed each stamp in the series, and will continue through the remaining six in the 12-year series.

The current series builds upon the Postal Service’s original Lunar New Year stamp series, which was issued from 1992 through 2003. Two elements from the first series are revived in the current stamps. These include the intricate paper-cut design and calligraphy motifs. (end)